Rosie Redeems Herself. Chocolate Cupcakes!

Not to worry.

I'm done the vegetarian for a while

and I was done with it before I finished it.

Just wanted my readers to know what I've been going through.

I'll still eat General Rosie's Tofu any day though.

I have the Ultimate Chocolate Cupcake

with Ganache Filling and Creamy Chocolate Frosting.

Wish I could say it was my recipe,

but I got it from the 20th Anniversary Special Edition

of Cook's Illustrated

ALL-TIME

BEST

RECIPES.

Ganache Filling
 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 TB confectioners' sugar
Nuke the chocolate, cream and sugar in small bowl about 30 seconds.  Whisk until smooth.  Slightly chill in refrigerator for no more than 30 minutes.


Combine bittersweet chocolate, powdered sugar, and heavy cream.


Nuke and stir until smooth.  You now have ganache.

Cupcakes
 3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
3/4 cup hot brewed coffee
3/4 cup bread flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 TB vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Heat oven to 350° and line 12-cup muffin tins with paper or foil liners.  Place chocolate and cocoa in medium bowl.  Pour hot coffee over mixture and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.  Whisk mixture gently until smooth.  Cool mixture completely in refrigerator.
Whisk oil, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla into cooled chocolate mixture until smooth.
Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in medium bowl.
Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth.
Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.  Place a slightly rounded teaspoon of ganache filling on top of each muffin.  Bake at 350° until cupcakes are set and just firm to touch, about 16 minutes.  Let cupcakes cool in muffin tin on wire rack about 10 minutes, then lift each cupcake from tin, set on wire rack, and let cool completely before frosting.


Prepare chocolate, cocoa, and hot chocolate mixture.



Gather the rest of the ingredients.


 I'm a messy baker.



 Add a little ganache on top of each cupcake.

 

 



Baked muffins.  Oh, the house smells so good now!

Remove from tins and cool on racks.


Chocolate Frosting
1/3 cup sugar
2 egg whites
pinch salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into12 pieces and softened
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine sugar, whites, and salt in bowl of stand mixer and set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water.  Whisk gently but constantly, heating until slightly thickened and foamy and it registers150°, about 2-3 minutes.
Fit stand mixture with whisk and whip on medium speed about 3 minutes.  Add butter, 1 piece at a time, beating until smooth and creamy. Add in cooled melted chocolate and vanilla and increase speed to medium high, beating until light, fluffy, and thoroughly combined, about a minute, scraping down beater and sides of bowl.  Frost cooled cupcakes.

Ingredients for frosting.

These are divine.

Perfection.

That ganache filling sinks to the bottom.

Before these were even finished,

I was asked to cook another batch.

That's how good these are.